Riley Can Take Marginal Talent Pretty Far, But...

Commentary DAVE HYDE

May 13, 1997|DAVE HYDE

NEW YORK - — This is why Pat Riley was Coach of the Year. This one night. This complete fiasco. This Game 4 in Madison Square Garden where 90 games of camouflaging and months of sound strategy finally couldn't cover Tim Hardaway's fatigue, Alonzo Mourning's game or the desperate call down the bench for Willie Anderson while New York was turning to John Starks.

"Don't let Starks get off," Riley told his players, calling timeout only to belabor the point after Starks' first 3-pointer in the second quarter.

But was too late. For the game. For the series. Finally for the season, too, as after Monday's 89-76 loss the Heat is down three games to one and looking to save face Wednesday night in Game 5 more than the season.

Through 90 games, Riley had masked this Heat team's marginal talent, using plenty of putty, an occasional Crotty and a well-delivered talk when needed to keep the ball moving and the wins coming.

Monday showed how far the Heat overachieved. It underlined the good regular-season work Riley did. Monday night showed what an experienced team, a deep team, a talented team with several options to score beats a team with an equal will to win every time.

"We're just better," Knicks guard Chris Childs said.

Monday also exposed that what Riley lacks in talent, he can't cover forever with a tired Hardaway, the game over by the half, the disappointment flowing by the third quarter and the futility made complete with 4:59 left.

Mourning fouled out then. So he has mastered that this series, if nothing else. Not smarts. Not positioning. Certainly not shooting as he was a representative 5 of 16 from the field and 3 of 8 on free throws. One free throw came within a foot of the rim.

"It slipped," Mourning said.

As he has done another playoffs.

"If you slow Hardaway down, you slow the Heat," Starks said, and the Knicks did that again Monday, disrespecting Mourning and P.J. Brown down low enough to single-cover them while throwing two bodies in Hardaway's path and having more ready.

This is the lineup the Heat tried to rally from down double digits: Mourning, Hardaway, Anderson, John Crotty and Dan Majerle. This is what Riley won with. It is why he is Coach of the Year.

It also is why Hardaway is the only player of consequence to the Knicks. Has he been asked to do too much?

"Not going to answer that," Hardaway said, which was answer enough.

Through three games, ugly was the adjective of choice of this this playoff series, but it was used in an admiringly, broken-nosed fashion. Ugly as tough. Ugly as physical. Ugly as pretty.

Monday the Heat was simply ugly. Ugly as ugly. It was exposed as a marginally talented team with a big heart and a great coach. The Heat won games on hustle in the regular season. But in the playoffs, everyone hustles, and the fresher, quicker team gets to the loose balls.

New York's Jeff Van Gundy brought in his three-guard lineup of Starks, Childs and Allen Houston in the second quarter. That Orlando-ed the Heat. Riley had to counter with Hardaway, Crotty and Anderson - the latter two not just out of the league but out of the country earlier this season.

Anderson was in for no other reason than there was no one else capable. This series had proved that.

No one believed Riley was coach in Los Angeles so much as chaperone. He made a program believe in New York, and it's still believing without him. But Miami must be his greatest feat. Monday showed that.